Video [6:47 min] Advertising versus Publicity

What is the difference between advertising and public relations, and which is the most valuable to a brand or an organization?

Read and study the material in Section 12.9, paying particular attention to Table 12.3. Afterwards, view the video, which explains the differences between advertising and public relations (PR), also called publicity.

You have already learned about the various forms of paid advertising. In the video, the speaker, Christine Nicholson, calls PR “earned media”. What do you think she meant by this? Did it make sense to you when she claimed PR was worth three times more than traditional forms of advertising?

There’s an old marketing saying for which the author is unknown:

Advertising is what you pay for, publicity is what you pray for.

Can you determine which of the following statements is likely to be advertising and which is probably PR (publicity)? (Hint: If the organization makes the claim, it’s typically advertising; if others say it about that organization, particularly in an independent review or article, it’s probably PR).

**PR or Advertising?**
Statement	Usage Example	Advertising?	Publicity? (PR)
“Our brand is great!”	TV commercial, or product promoted via print or Internet	Y/N	Y/N
“Their brand is great!”	Product review on the Internet, in print or other media	Y/N	Y/N

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